Spring Travel Journal Part 4 - Venice

Drive to Oriago, pencil, sketchbook, 6 3/4" x 4 3/4"

 

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Venice had been on my bucket list for years. In 2013, we had booked the first trip, which got cancelled due to floods. This time, I was frustrated because it was pouring when Ingo’s cousin, her two children, my father-in-law and his sister left Schenna.

 

Villa Pisani

After three hours, we stopped near Stra to visit the grandiose Villa Pisani, a Baroque rural palace close to the Brenta Canal. We had enough time to stroll through the villa’s beautiful garden with flowers and many hundreds of years old trees and orange and lemon trees. Unfortunately, the labyrinth was closed for repairs, but we saw the sun peek out behind the clouds. We continued our journey to Oriago.

 Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena (Church of Saint Mary Magdalene), Oriago

Before we continued on board the Tiepolo, we had lunch as part of the cruise to Venice. I have never seen people eat so much food at a time. We started with a fish or meat platter as an appetizer, followed by spaghetti with seafood or ham and a salad. Then, we received a platter of two big slices of fish or meat. I let half of the food go back and wasn’t even upset that we didn’t have time for the dessert of fruit salad with ice cream, even though I love ice cream and fruit.

 

Villa Foscari (La Malcontenta)

We stopped at the Villa Foscari (La Malcontenta), where we had a short guided tour. While the frescoes were exquisite, the palace and gardens were no comparison to the ones of the Villa Pisani.

quick sketches along the way

 

The sun warmed me so much that I moved to the upper level and had a fantastic view of Venice. However, I was disappointed once we moored because the entire area was extremely overcrowded.

sketch while we were waiting for the owner of the Airbnb

 

Luckily, Ingo’s cousin guided us away from the crowded areas to our Airbnb, a Venetian Palace on the fourth floor of an old house. In retrospect, I can hardly believe we stayed in so much extravagance. The faucets were golden, and the stunning table with inlaid work (worth 100.000 Euros, according to the owner) looked made for royalty. I was so nervous we would break or soil anything that I could only cherish the experience once we locked the door behind us again.

 

one of the bedrooms

After breakfast at a local cafe, where we enjoyed delicious sweets while people-watching, we went to the DaVinci Museum. We saw multimedia exhibits of his art and life-size models of his inventions you could operate. The kids had lots of fun, and I was in awe of Da Vinci’s genius and foresight.

 

outside terrace of the Peggy Guggenheim Museum

sketch in the museum garden

Our next stop was the Peggy Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art, a beautiful building on the Grand Canal. I am not a great admirer of modern art, but I liked the innovative works by Kandinsky, Severini and Metzinger. Plus, the museum’s view over the Grand Canal was spectacular.

Afterwards, I got on one of the swaying gondolas crossing the Grand Canal while other boats drove up and down the canal. It was not the best choice for someone with extreme motion sickness. I was sure we would end up in the water. The ride in one of the water buses was much more pleasant and stable. Even though it was overcrowded, we had a great view of the Venetian buildings. 

 

capturing our driver

I returned to Schenna with a multitude of impressions and inspiration.

 

 

Can you believe we didn’t have a single drop of rain during our Venice trip? However, the sky was grey again the following morning. In the afternoon, the rain showers returned.

view of the Santa Maria della Salute from the water bus

Spring Travel Journal Part 3 - Schenna and Meran

Dominic's Birthday Flowers, 10" x 7" watercolours and watercolour pencils

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During our stay in Schenna, it rained a lot. However, on Dominic’s birthday, we enjoyed lots of sunshine. Ingo and I walked to the heart of Schenna to the church hill with breathtaking views of the mountains and apple orchards.

 

 

Later, we all drove to the spectacular Partschins waterfall. Part of our group hiked up the mountain to the top of the waterfall. Ingo’s aunt and I wanted to drive up. We were up three-quarters of the steep road when the car stopped in a curve in the middle of the road. Luckily, a biker helped us to start and turn the car around.

 

 

 

Our meeting point was the Jausenstation (restaurant, Austrian German) Dursterhof. We were in awe of the complex containing the restaurant and several houses. The owner and his sons built them into the rocks of the mountain. They are still working on an underground market area. 

 

In the sun, with a breathtaking view of mountains and villages, we shared one of their famous raspberry specialties, the raspberry yogurt torte, and a delicious Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian sugared torn pancake).

 

At night, we went to the restaurant, Moesl in Mera. We received a cartwheel-size pizza each that could have fed a family. I am not sure whether the locals eat so much or whether they want to impress visitors. The leftovers were still enough for the next dinner. 

It rained so hard the following day that Ingo’s cousin offered us a dumpling cooking session. We made mouthwatering spinach and red beet dumplings that we will make again in Canada.

In the afternoon, we visited the Villa Freischütz in Meran. In the former home of the merchant family Fromm, we glimpsed into their lives and collections.

Image: Cushion from the villa (Dress nicely and laugh, then you are pretty.)

 

Despite the rainy weather, I painted the Meraner Röschen (a rose without thorns) from the living room window.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the rainy weather continued the next day, I went to Meran with Ingo’s aunt, where arcades called Laubengänge kept us dry. I could not miss a stop at an art and crafts store where I bought the Italian watercolour pad I used for my painting during our stay.

In the afternoon, Ingo's cousin and I visited the Protestant Christuskirche (Christ Church). The church has beautiful stained glass windows and a statue of Christ outside of the church tower made from Laas marble. The church is also the venue for concerts and art exhibitions. The current one displayed the fascinating impact of Luther on the development of the German language.

Spring Travel Journal Part 2 - Three Countries in One Day

Mountain Sunset, Schenna, watercolour, 5.5" x 8.5"

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After a family reunion with my maternal family, we left my small hometown early on Sunday, June 7, for our trip to Schenna. Even though Nauheim has only about 11,000 citizens, it has a train station. We took the train to Munich, where we stopped for the family reunion of my husband’s paternal family, including my father-in-law, who had already arrived a couple of days earlier. We started with a traditional coffee klatsch (Kaffeeklatsch) with various cakes, coffee and tea.

 

If you haven’t noticed by now, most of the visits are as much about reconnecting and exploring the area as about food and local beverages – at least for the others because I don’t drink alcohol. The afternoon coffee time went smoothly into an evening at the Gasthof zum Wildpark, a traditional Bavarian restaurant, where our son, Dominic, also joined us after a trip to Iceland.

I always have a sketchbook with me. While we waited for our meal, I started drawing the centrepiece, which I finished after my return home. I was not the only one drawing. Ingo's cousin had brought his young daughter, who also started drawing and received suggestions from an extended relative. When she moved closer to our side of the table, I learned that she was also an artist. Thera von Huene specializes in dogs (and the occasional cat). We immediately had a strong connection through our love for animals.

The next day, we drove the scenic route through the Vinschgau region to Schenna. For Canadians and Americans, it must sound unbelievable that we started in Germany, crossed Austria, and finally entered Italy within a couple of hours. The first stop was the parking spot in Austria with a fantastic view of the German Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain.

The next stop was Curon Venosta or Graun im Vinschgau at Lake Reschen. Almost everyone speaks German and Italian in South Tyrol in Northern Italy. Therefore, most towns have an Italian and a German name.

Alt Graun refers to the old village of Graun im Vinschgau, known for the picturesque Reschensee (Lake Reschen). During the 1950s, the original town was submerged due to the construction of a dam for hydroelectric power generation. All residents had to leave their homes behind when the water rose. A reminder is the bell tower from the Alt Graun church that still stands - now in the lake. Most original citizens moved to the new village of Graun built nearby.

Then, we stopped at the St. Benediktkirche (St. Benedikt Church) in Mals. The church shows architectural Romanesque elements and features beautiful interior frescoes. They are among the earliest murals in central Europe and depict various religious scenes. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos of the frescos.

We could also see a rock in the churchyard that had carved indentations left by the many wagons that crossed it.

 

Because we were running late, we only drove through Glurns (also known as Glorenza), a small town renowned for its well-preserved medieval city walls and historic charm. Inside the walls, Glurns features narrow, winding streets lined with colourful historical buildings.

We also made a quick detour through Laas (Lasa), the marble city of Italy. The high-quality marble from Laas is used in architecture, sculpture, and design worldwide. In the picturesque town, you see marble everywhere - even the sidewalks and pedestrian crossings are out of marble.

sketch of a gerbra from the garden, watercolour pencils

When we finally arrived in the late afternoon at Haus Peters in Schenna (Scena), the mountains were breathtaking despite the rain. We enjoyed the next family reunion with South Tirol specialties, laughter and many trips down memory lane for Ingo and his family.

 

 

Next week, I will tell you about our adventures in Schenna and Meran (Merano).